Top 10 Things I've Learned

In January 2009 I wandered into my first EWB-CU Rwanda meeting in the DLC Conference room in Boulder.  After 3 EWB-CU trips to Rwanda and 5 full semesters of working hard with the team, I've learned more than I can ever attribute to my Engineering degree alone.

Here's the top 10 things I've learned from three years with EWB-CU Rwanda:

10. Show up on time for meetings, especially if you are running them.

9.  Nothing ever goes perfectly to plan, especially with an Engineering project in rural Africa.  Always be ready with a backup plan.

8.  Most people outside of EWB-CU under-value the effort we put in as students and over-value the project results.

7.  You don't need to be a business student to win a business plan competition, but you must thoroughly understand your idea and clearly show your passion for it.

6.  Many people love to help, but sometimes you need to ask them for it.  Don't be afraid to ask for help once in a while.

5.  When conducting an assessment, collect more information than expected.  You never know exactly what information you might need down the road.

4.  Convince someone to participate, and they'll participate with an absent heart.  Have someone convince you to let them participate, they'll participate with true passion and enthusiasm.

3.  Opposites attract.  People in Africa want to go to America, and people in America long to go to Africa.

2.  All Rwandans are better than me at soccer.

1.  Take your education outside of the classroom. Learn by doing, and you'll be rewarded for the rest of your life.

Thank you to donors, teachers, friends, family, and most of all, the CU Rwanda Team for making the last three years a truly valuable experience for me and countless others both on and off this continent.

Eric Millinger ('11)